COVID-19 Data Updates
For up-to-date information on cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the County, see the Daily COVID-19 outbreak summary dashboard. The links to the data by demographics and geography are on the same page.
View all County COVID-related Data Dashboards here, including vaccination rates and outcomes according to vaccination status
View the most recent statewide COVID-19 data from the state Department of Health (DOH).
The graphs below show today’s reported cases, hospitalizations and deaths in King County.
  
Quote of the Day:
“I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against. I'm a human being first and foremost, and as such I am for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” – Malcolm X, in his autobiography, 1965
COVID News
Governor's press conference this afternoon
 Governor Inslee held a press conference this afternoon, at which he announced “With dropping hospitalization rates, improving vaccination rates, and broad access to masks and tests, Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the state can soon move into a less restrictive phase of the COVID-19 response. The lifting of statewide measures does not prohibit local governments from the ability to enact measures in response to COVID-19 activity in their communities.” Also, see this article from The Seattle Times: WA mask mandate for schools, businesses to end March 21, Inslee says. You can watch the press conference here on TVW.
King County ending vaccination verification policy on March 1 as new COVID cases and hospitalizations decline; King County and City of Seattle begin return to office plans
 With new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations decreasing, and nearly 80% of all King County residents fully vaccinated, King County is ending the local health order requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test for entry into restaurants and bars, indoor recreational events and establishments, or outdoor events. The vaccination verification policy will no longer be in effect as of March 1st. Businesses and organizations may continue to implement their own vaccination verification rules for their establishments. Read the full story from Public Health here and see this press release from County Executive Dow Constantine for more information. You may also be interested in these articles:
- King County's vaccine verification rule will end March 1 – KUOW
- What’s changing about mask and COVID vaccine requirements in WA and King County – The Seattle Times
- King County Ditches Vaccine Requirements at Restaurants and Bars, Lots of Legislative Workers Call Out Sick, and a Tiny Bit of Pop Culture News as a Treat – The Stranger
Tomorrow: POCAAN vax clinic at 23rd and Jackson Starbucks from noon – 3 p.m.
 Join POCAAN (People of Color Against AIDS Network) and Public Health tomorrow, Friday, February 18th from noon-3:00 p.m. for a free COVID Vaccination clinic at the Starbucks on 23rd & Jackson. Thanks to support from Public Health, POCAAN will be offering $50 gift cards – as long as supplies last – to those getting vaccinated tomorrow.
Boosters (for people over 12 years of age), first shots and second shots are all available. All vaccine brands will be available, although youth ages 5 to 17 may get only the Pfizer vaccine. No appointment necessary – walk-ins welcome. POCAAN will also offer free HIV/STI testing, as well. See more information on Facebook by clicking this link.
Continued cautions and questions on the future of COVID-19
As I mentioned above in my introduction, there are several reasons we should continue to be cautious. I fully support the moves to follow the data, and agree with these recent actions. However, I believe strongly that, on an individual and governmental level, we should continue to remain actively vigilant against the virus. I discussed this above, as all as a bit in the last e-newsletter. Included below are a few articles that look at some of the concerns and unanswered questions about where the virus is headed.
- COVID virus may be airborne longer and spread by ventilation, shows Tri-Cities research – The Tri-Cities Herald/The Seattle Times
- WHO says global case decline affected by drop in testing, deaths still alarmingly high – The Washington Post
- Introducing the Covid-19 Tracker: As the virus that causes Covid-19 spreads worldwide, this dashboard offers a snapshot of confirmed cases by geographic location – Stat News
- Opinion: Coronaviruses are clever: Evolutionary scenarios for the future of SARS-CoV-2 – Stat News
- Estimated 73% of US now immune to omicron: Is that enough? – AP News
- Protecting the Vulnerable: We offer a guide to protecting the elderly, immunocompromised and unvaccinated from COVID. – The New York Times
- The millions of people stuck in pandemic limbo. What does society owe immunocompromised people? – The Atlantic Magazine
- ‘Every bed is full’: UW Medicine warns hospitals still at capacity despite falling COVID cases – KING 5 News
- COVID-19 deaths top 10,000 for Native people – Indian Country Today
“Proctored” COVID tests for international travel
I recently learned about a new testing option for travel, supervised and proctored at-home tests that provide documentation so that you can travel. If you need to test within one day and provide documentation for international travel, this could be a good option for you. Read more about proctored home tests here: https://www.afar.com/magazine/cdc-approves-at-home-covid-tests-for-international-travel
County Business and Other News and Events
Highlights from this week at the Council
- At the meeting of the Full Council on Tuesday, Councilmembers were briefed by Public Health Interim Director Dennis Worsham on the status and response to the pandemic. His presentation can be viewed in full here and starts at about minute 2:19.
- At yesterday’s meeting of the Committee of the Whole, which I serve as Chair, members received a briefing by ArtsFund on the impact of the pandemic on arts and cultural organizations. You can view the full report, executive summary and other details of the ArtsFund COVID Cultural Impact Study here.
- Also at yesterday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, members discussed a motion requesting the Executive to establish an equitable development initiative (EDI) and prepare an implementation plan. There is broad support but there are still details to work out. We will likely take action on the motion at the next meeting of the committee on March 2nd.
- Today, the Board of Health adopted its workplan for the year. I presented an amendment to add the topic of sexual and gender-based violence in K-12 public schools to our workplan for the year, which stemmed from a conversation that I had a few weeks ago with a group of local students who have been organizing and speaking out about their experiences. In 2020, the Department of Education released a report exploring sexual violence in K-12 schools across the country and found that reports of sexual violence in schools rose more than 50% between the 2015-2016 school year and 2017-2018 school year, from about 9,600 to almost 15,000. A District Four student on behalf of additional students provided public comment today, and the amendment passed with unanimous support from the Board. I am pleased that we will be able to elevate these concerns and take some time this year to explore the issue and what the Board of Health may be able to do to address it.
- Tuesday, at the Transportation, Economy and Environment (TrEE) Committee, members received two very powerful briefings, which I would encourage you to watch. The first was a presentation from Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin on public health – related climate action needs. He spoke eloquently on the impacts climate is already having on public health, and what we must prepare for in the future.
The second is crucially important – though disturbing – testimony. Three Metro drivers spoke about their experiences during COVID, including their decreased safety and the increase in drug use among passengers. One driver spoke of wearing bullet-proof vests on her shifts. You can view video of the meeting here. Dr. Duchin’s testimony begins at about minute 4:41 and the testimony of the Metro drivers starts at approximately minute 1:10:14.
Also, at the meeting, Metro staff gave an update on several items, including Metro’s new Strategic Plan dashboard, which tracks driver and passenger safety as well as other factors. You may also be interested in this article:
- King County reaches for ideas to calm problems on buses – The Seattle Times
My statement on the Board of Health’s repeal of the bicycle helmet law this afternoon
Today’s deliberation by the King County Board of Health on repealing the King County bicycle helmet law was respectful and thorough, ending in a vote to repeal the law. I was the only vote against the repeal. This issue has been a public policy paradox. While data show that local enforcement of this law has disproportionately impacted unhoused and BIPOC individuals, other data show that helmets save lives with which there’s no disagreement. As the member who one year ago had requested the Board take up this issue of enforcement bias, I had hoped to find a resolution without fully repealing the law. Many members of the medical community, including from Harborview Medical Center and the University of Washington, as well as parents whose children had suffered traumatic brain injury from not wearing a helmet, shared public testimony opposing the full repeal and instead in favor of working to end the law’s disproportionate application. I offered amendments that aimed to do so, but they did not succeed. While we voted for another resolution to provide education and outreach efforts, I could not in good conscience support a full repeal, as I believe it is premature.
However, I deeply appreciate the thorough investigation of this issue by my colleagues, public health staff, journalists, and community advocates. I brought this issue to the Board of Health last year for a rigorous review, which was done, and look forward to further efforts to increase awareness of the importance of wearing helmets. You may also be interested in these articles:
- With a commitment to equity: Board of Health updates King County’s bike helmet policy – The Public Health Insiderblog
- King County repeals mandatory bicycle helmet law – The Seattle Times
Next week at the Council
Note: Council meetings are still being held remotely.
Tuesday, February 22nd at 9:30 a.m. – Local Services and Land Use. Agenda: Discussion and possible action on appointments and an ordinance to update building and construction standards. The agenda and meeting materials -- including instructions for public comment -- can be downloaded on this page and will soon be available on this page.
Tuesday, February 22nd at 1:00 p.m. – Full Council. Agenda: The agenda is not yet finalized but will include a recognition of the 80th anniversary of Executive Order 9066. The agenda and meeting materials - including instructions for public comment - will soon be available to be downloaded on this page and viewed on this page.
Tuesday, February 22nd at 1:30 p.m. –Employment and Administration Committee. Agenda: Discussion and possible action on appointment of Council Chief of Staff. To view the agenda and meeting materials, see this page.
Wednesday, February 23rd at 9:30 a.m. – Budget and Fiscal Management Committee. Agenda: Discussion and possible action on the Court backlog that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and on eviction cases after the state moratorium is lifted, on an ordinance related to solid waste fees, on a surplus property sale, and on the next scheduled update of the capacity charge as required by the Regional Wastewater Services Plan. The agenda and meeting materials - including instructions for public comment - can be downloaded on this page and will soon be available on this page.
Join me next Wednesday!
 The past two years of the pandemic have only intensified the issues facing King County residents, from housing instability to inadequate access to physical and behavioral health care and community safety. To further explore these human-centered issues and highlight what King County is doing, please join me for a virtual town hall meeting at 6:00 -7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 23rd with five King County leaders who work in homelessness response, housing, human services, and public health.
Panelists will include Vazaskia Crockrell, Division Director for Community Health Service with Public Health — Seattle and King County; Lisa Daugaard, Co-Executive Director/Policy with the Public Defender Association; Marc Dones, CEO of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority; Leo Flor, Director of the King County Department of Community and Human Services; and Dennis Worsham, Interim Director of Public Health — Seattle and King County.
The town hall will be streamed live on Facebook, but you do not need a Facebook account to attend. Questions may be submitted in advance or during the event via this Google Form. The link to the form, as well as updated information, will be available on the Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles’ Facebook page. For questions about the event, please contact us via email at jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov or call 206-477-1004.
Legislative session update from County staff
A few days ago Councilmembers received a very informative update from Council staff on legislation and funding proposals in the state legislature that may affect the County. Here are a few highlights:
- The state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released the Spring Quarterly Economic & Revenue Forecast. The forecast showed continued upward trends in state revenue and budget projections. There is also about $1.3 billion in federal COVID relief dollars that is still available for appropriation. Supplemental operating budget proposals are expected to come out next week.
- The Senate released its proposed supplemental capital budget (see here for documents), spending $94.8M in available bond capacity, $560M in ARPA funds, and $290M of infrastructure grant funds. The general areas of investment include housing, broadband, water and school seismic improvements, including several in King County.
Housing funding included $12 million for a King County crisis walk-in/stabilization center and also includes $25 million to build affordable housing units for lower-income individuals/families via Habitat for Humanity. Here's the list of Local and Community projects that received funding. Here’s the list of Housing Trust Fund investments ($57 million in competitive grants, with several specific projects receiving funding in Bellevue, Burien, Skyway, and Seattle).
You may also be interested in these articles:
- Rural WA wants in on state highway, health and housing dollars – Crosscut
- WA revenue projections see $2.7 billion increase – The Seattle Times
Day of Remembrance: February 19, 1942
Since the late 1970s, Japanese Americans across the country have held an annual Day of Remembrance on the anniversary of Executive Order 9066 to honor the memory of those imprisoned during WWII and fight against the repetition of this dark history today. Saturday will mark the 80th anniversary of EO 9066. Join Densho and other organizations to remember, reflect, and inspire continued action. See this list of events of remembrance.
Seattle played a role in promoting the idea of an annual Day of Remembrance of EO 9066. Frank Abe helped organize the first Day of Remembrance in Seattle in 1978 with Frank Chin and Henry Miyatake, sparking a wave of such events across the country. These events became the center of the movement to demand an apology and monetary redress from the federal government.
Join the National Park Service this Saturday at 2 p.m. for “Standing for Redress and Reclaiming History,” an online panel discussion remembering the experience of Japanese Americans during WWII. Frank Abe and other early organizers will discuss the evolution of these events. Historian Brian Niiya and JACL Executive Director David Inoue will reflect on the legacy of the Day of Remembrance, and discuss its role in the Japanese American community today.
Sustainable yard care classes available online from County Wastewater Treatment Division
King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division partnered last month with the Snohosh County Conservation District to offer six classes in sustainable yard care, including growing your own food, living with wildlife, designing a healthy landscape, native plants, and healthy dirt, soil, compost and mulch. Watch all the classes for free here.
Bird-friendly planting: an ode to evergreen huckleberry
 Evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) in bloom. Photo courtesy of Hansen’s Northwest Native Plant Database.
King County Parks wants to remind residents that keeping birds fed in winter doesn’t necessarily mean buying expensive feeders and packaged food. According to King County Parks, “February is National Bird Feeding Month. The origins of this date back to 1994 when February was recognized as one of the toughest months for wild birds in the United States to access food, water, and shelter.
Flora and fauna experts at the King County Parks Volunteer Program are focused on gardening with native plants that can serve as food sources to wild birds in the winter months. The evergreen huckleberry is one example, King County Parks is open to your suggestions as well for native plants that support birds during the winter. Read the full story here.
"Climate Action Now!": Gov. Inslee’s Town Hall with Al Gore and others
Yesterday Gov. Inslee held a virtual Town Hall called "Climate Action Now!" with former Vice President Al Gore and current White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy. You can watch the event here on TVW.
State climatologist, climate impacts group, and partners release 2021 PNW water year impacts assessment
 You may have read or heard within the last couple of days that the western states have been suffering a drought unlike any seen for the last 1,200+ years. The newly-released water year assessment from the UW’s Climate Impacts Group and its other partners lay out exactly the abnormally warm and dry conditions in the Pacific Northwest last year impacted agriculture, water resources, and other sectors. To read the report see this page.
Blood Brothers: The friendship between Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali
The Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) is partnering with the Heinz History Center in their screening of Blood Brothers, a Netflix film about the friendship between icons Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. The film screening will be followed by a talk back with the film’s director Marcus Clarke. This event is hosted and presented by the Heinz History Center of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This is virtual, free, and open to the public and will take place next Wednesday, February 23 at 2:30 p.m. For details and to register see this page.
The intersection of teen dating violence, human trafficking, and vulnerable youth
 The Office On Trafficking In Persons, an Office of the Administration for Children & Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is hosting a webinar next Wednesday, February 23rd, at 11 a.m. PT. This webinar, entitled, “Teen Dating Violence, Human Trafficking, and Youth of Color: Understanding the Intersections,” will discuss the intersection between teen dating violence, human trafficking, and youth of color. Presenters will share relevant information to understand these intersections, as well as recommendations for youth, programs, and communities.Register here.
Did you know?
... that, according to HistoryLink, “On February 17, 2000, a municipal court judge dismisses criminal charges against a man accused of violating the emergency order prohibiting the possession of "devices commonly known as gas masks" during the period of unrest surrounding the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting which occurred in late November and early December, 1999, in Seattle.
Mayor Paul Schell (1937-2014) had issued an emergency order prohibiting the possession of gas masks in Seattle except by military and police on December 1, 1999. Later that day, journalists were allowed to possess gas masks, but the ban did not extend to firefighters.”
Today’s moment of inspiration
 UW students researched and wrote BlackPast.org profiles of Black leaders in the sciences, including (clockwise from top left) Calestous Juma, Chester Brown, Theodore K. Lawless, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, William Augustus Hinton, Sekazi Mtingwa, Claire Karekezi, and Vanessa Northington Gamble.
I love this article. It combines two of my long-time passions: history and teaching. I also love the fact that it highlights the initiative of one person, who went out of her way to give students real-world experience, while at the same benefitting a non-profit that knew exactly how to make the best use of the student’s contributions.
This article from UW News tells about a fruitful collaboration between the UW and the non-profit organization “Blackpast.org,” that provided much-need STEM-focused content for the non-profit.
According to the article, “BlackPast.org is an online resource for Black history, viewed by more than six million people annually. Developed by Quintard Taylor, UW professor emeritus of history, it is by far the largest and most visited website on African American and global African history.”
However, Tam’ra-Kay Francis wanted to increase the content on African American leaders in STEM fields. The article continues, “Francis, a postdoctoral fellow in the UW Department of Chemistry, had previously created PR2ISM — a tri-campus initiative to foster diverse careers in STEM. She reached out to Taylor, suggesting a BlackPast-PR2ISM internship to add more STEM content to the BlackPast site.”
According to Taylor, the organization had a real need for volunteers to develop STEM content. “With Taylor’s encouragement, Francis secured funding from the University of Washington Black Opportunity Fund to develop the BlackPast-PR2ISM Science Communication Internship in 2021. Through the internship, UW students create entries about Black scientists for the BlackPast website while building communication skills. They receive a stipend along with mentorship from Francis and Taylor. (The interns also have written content for the site’s Environmental Justice page, as well as non-science entries, including the new Blackpast.org African American Visual History Timeline.) Three interns were funded in the program’s first year.”
Additional helpful and informative links
- More virus rules fall as CDC hints at better times ahead – AP News
- Vaccine requirements are being lifted across America as Covid cases wane – NBC News
- Pandemic worsened issues leading to domestic violence, such as isolation and alcohol use, study’s author says – The Washington Post
- Pandemic updates for Seattle: King County jails report decline in COVID cases – KUOW
- Nearly 50 WA superintendents call on state to lift mask mandate for schools – The Seattle Times
- Seattle Schools' report card mirrors statewide dip in standardized test results – KUOW
- National Guard deploys for new emergency: Teacher shortages – AP News
- COVID put thousands of procedures in WA on hold, frustrating patients and worrying surgeons – The Seattle Times
- You think you had COVID during the omicron wave but aren’t sure. You still have ways to find out – The Seattle Times
- Scientists want to stop the next pandemic before it starts. Here are the tests they're building to do it – The Arizona Republic
- Opinion: "‘Capitalizing on skepticism’: How the coronavirus has exposed us once again – The Seattle Times
- Anti-vaccine husband faced terrible choice as his pregnant wife fought for her life – The Seattle Times (A powerful read!)
- 'Where is my office anyway?' As COVID recedes, remote workers prepare to head back – KUOW
- Opinion: King County helmet law leads to biased enforcement, it should be repealed – South Seattle Emerald
- Study finds Western megadrought is the worst in 1,200 years – KUOW
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my updates, which, beginning next week I’ll be sending out on Thursdays only. Feel free to forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here. And you can click here to visit the archive page where you can find all of my previous enews updates.
|
